The Streets
by Fantasy Cat
Summary: Ext. version of the "Drabble Goodness" drabble w/ same name. First big nonZA Bethyl fic. Beth is a young woman betrayed by the law and forced to hide out in a dangerous part of the city. Her only ally is a homeless man who will take her under his wing and teach her how to survive the darkest and most vicious parts of Atlanta. Rated M for later dark stuff, violence, sex, etc.
1. Chapter 1

**After writing my Drabble Goodness (Chapter 11) drabble also called "The Streets" my mind was going crazy with ideas on how to expand this and it was something I really wanted to do. The drabble is not required reading as the meeting between the two characters will be much different in this story but the same circumstances apply and the biggest question I got from that drabble will be answered in this story.**

**The other cool thing about this story is that this will be my first big attempt at a nonZA AU fic (apparently them's popular around here).**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own none of the characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Flashforward<strong>

She was too scared to stop...to catch her breath. Beth kept running, even when she nearly got hit by several cars along the way. There was no looking back either. She didn't want to know if she was being followed.

But she feared they were looking for her now.

Only when Beth got to a darkened street corner, did her knees give way and she was forced to collapse to the pavement. Her breast was still sore and her breathing remained heavy. She struggled to look over her shoulder at the tear in her shirt, one of many reminders of how this one typical autumn day had turned into an absolute nightmare, which seemed to hold no end.

The empty buildings around her seemed to echo with her cry. "I DIDN'T DO IT!"

The loneliness of the area seemed to reflect her right now. She had allies, yes. But those allies, once they knew the truth...who knows what would become of them? How could she face her family knowing what happened to her today? Where would she get help knowing that the law that was supposed to protect her, had cruelly turned against her?

Two headlights turned a corner and Beth sprung in a panic once more. She ran across the street and hid behind a trashcan waiting for the car to pass.

It wasn't a police car, thank god.

* * *

><p><strong>Weeks ago...<strong>

The family farm had fallen on hard times. Bills were piling up and Beth knew her hopes of starting college in the fall at a prestigious university were now crushed. For a while she was taking classes at the local community college but as finances in the family got worse, Beth knew she had to give it up and find work in the big city. It didn't seem to matter though. Family was always going to come first and if that meant leaving the farm to find work in Atlanta, then so be it. Her sister Maggie was already set. She had a steady job and was bunking in the apartment of her boyfriend, Glenn. She had the work experience. But Beth, fresh out of high school, needed to build up her resume. With the economy gone to crap, Beth knew that she would have no other choices for a while but unpaid internships and volunteer work, especially if she wanted to get a big paying job like being an office secretary. A minimum hourly wage job simply wouldn't help the farm in its condition.

Fortunately, Rick Grimes, the county sheriff from her hometown and longtime family friend, had some connections in Atlanta who would be able to help Beth get the work experience to get her feet off the ground.

"I can't thank you enough for getting me this internship, Mr. Grimes."

"We've known each other long enough. You can call me, Rick. I never took Criminal Justice as your kind of career goal."

"Well it's not really," said Beth. "But I'll take what I can get. I might do some volunteer work to."

When they arrived at the steps of the police station, Rick pointed out a building a couple of blocks over. "There's a soup kitchen over there, always looking for volunteers. You might want to check that out afterwards." They went inside the bustling station. Beth was lucky that her internship was going to be mostly regulated to office work, maybe a coffee run or two. At least that is what Rick told her initially about the job.

They came to the office of a policewoman who seemed rather wound up and absorbed. "Not a good time," the lady said.

"I'm Sheriff Grimes, from King County. I called about an intern coming here. You're Lieutenant Dawn Lerner?"

The woman seemed to calm down. "Oh you're Rick Grimes? Sorry. It's a bit hectic here right now. Can we make this quick?"

"Sure. Lieutenant, this is Beth Greene. She's going to be interning here for a couple of months."

"Fine. But you must know I'm not here to be a teacher. We run everything on a tight schedule around here and you're expected to keep up with it from the go. You understand?"

"Of course, I do," said Beth.

"I'll see myself out. Good luck here, Beth." As soon as Rick turned the atmosphere at the police station turned intimidating with just her and the stern female officer alone together. "I'll take you to where you'll be working," said Dawn. "You're expected to be on time on a set schedule. No wondering off where you're not allowed, and stay out of our way unless we tell you otherwise. More importantly, you're to be tidy. I run a clean department here and I don't get pretty with anyone making a mess of it."

Beth couldn't believe how many rules, were being set down for her already, and she hadn't even started working yet. She wondered if she needed to write all of this down.

"Dawn." Another policeman approached them. "Is this the new intern?"

"Yeah, Beth this is Officer Gorman."

Beth reached out her hand, expecting a casual handshake. But something about Gorman's smile as he reached out to touch her hand seemed very unsettling to her. She was never good at reading signals though so maybe she was just being mindlessly paranoid. "Lovely to meet you. How 'bout you have her work with me, Dawn?"

"I don't think so, Gorman," said Dawn. "On your schedule, she won't be able to keep up. I won't have her slowing any of my best officers down. I'm dumping her on that rookie, Chambler." Although Beth wasn't liking the way Dawn was putting her down infront of her other officers, for some reason, she felt better about walking away from Gorman and down a quiet hall. Dawn opened the room to one office that seemed more like a records room if anything else.

"Rookie, I'm leaving you the intern. Makes sure she stays with you." Dawn pushed Beth into the room and slammed the door.

"Wow," said the young woman in the room. "Looks like you got the full dose of Lerner."

"Um, I guess so," said Beth. "Is she always like that?"

"Oh yeah."

"She didn't even introduce me. I'm Beth."

"I'm Tara. But everyone here calls me Rookie. Please, don't call me Rookie."

Beth smiled. "Okay, no problem."

"Fist bump on it?" Tara reached out her fist and Beth reluctantly tapped her fist with her own. "So what are we doing here?" Beth asked. Tara pulled out a large bin of files. "Paper work, by the shit ton. It sucks hardcore. I'm supposed to be out there shooting up the bad guys and all that. But you know cops like Lerner, they gotta give rookies fresh outta the academy the boring stuff. We could make this fun."

Beth opened up one of the files. "Oh god!" She dropped the file quickly upon seeing the pictures inside. "That man was gored up. How's this supposed to be fun?"

"It's just nice to talk about how gross it is." Tara pointed to the dropped file on the floor. "You better pick that up, Lerner will have a bitchfest for not keepin' this room clean." But the office was so cluttered with file cabinets and boxes, it seemed such a request by Dawn was impossible. "Why are there so many files here anyway? This can't be the records for the entire department."

"It ain't," she explained to Beth. "These are just for special crimes, the gang crime stuff."

Beth picked up the dropped file. "Since when did they started goring people?"

"Aw man, don't tell me you don't know about The Walkers."

"The Walkers?"

"The Walking Dead...whatever people call them. Largest gang that's never been caught or seen. We don't even bother with them anymore. Police just lets them kill whoever they want. These are just victim files."

"That's terrible," said Beth. "Why would the police just let them do that? It's going to get more people killed."

"Like I said. Never been caught. They kill where the cops don't come around and they don't shoot them or kill them or nothing. They bite the flesh out of them. Let 'em bleed to death. I think they're like cannibals or something. They're always wearing masks acting like they're zombies and shit. So if you see them, they'll kill you. No questions asked."

Cannibals? Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was starting to think that working and living part time in Atlanta was going to be a huge mistake. "So...no one's ever lived? No one's ever killed them?"

"Hold up." Tara pulled out a file from one of the drawers. "Some of them were killed. But they couldn't I.D. the bodies. There was this one woman on the east side, said like a dozen of them broke into her apartment in the middle of the night. So she took this Japanese sword she had on her fireplace and sliced them all. Walkers never came around her neighborhood again. You know where the old park is?"

Beth shook her head.

"That whole place is pretty much crime central and pretty much abandoned. Cops don't go over there much anymore but they've been finding Walker bodies, all bashed in or shot or stabbed in the head."

"Why the head?"

"Who knows? But they think it's the same person killing them. A lot of them were found with their ears cut off."

Ugh, Beth thought. Crime was brutal stuff and this area of the city that Tara spoke sounded like it was filled with crazies, not just this Walker gang. She kept a mental note to never try and wonder into that area.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashforward<strong>

She rested her head against the trash can, realizing how weak she was. There was no relief, no rest. She opened her backpack expecting to find something to eat, or if not that, some money. Unfortunately, she realized that she used up all her cash. To even use one of her credit cards would be asking for the cops to come and arrest her.

The cold was getting to her too.

Behind Beth was the old city park, a place that had become a decayed mix of rusty metal, broken concrete, and vegetation. The entrance to a world she had no chance in...where all manner of law and order was absent. The words came back to haunt her...that girls like her wouldn't last a night in these streets.

But she needed to prove those words wrong...prove _him_ wrong.

With all the strength left within her, she made her way into the park...into the near dark and deadly silence, keeping her senses on high alert. The first bridge she came across, Beth crawled under hoping to find some warmth. But it was neither warm nor comfortable. She used her backpack as a pillow and curled herself up. No help there either.

_'At least no one will look for me here,'_ she thought to herself. She was starting to prefer death, embrace it. If the stories were true about this place, about the people who hung around here at night, then maybe she'll get lucky. There was no one left who could help her now.

The words still hung in the cold night. "I didn't do it."

* * *

><p><strong>We'll meet Daryl in the next chapter. I wasn't sure how to end this without spending another full day trying to wring out my brain so I decided to split the opening Flashforward into bookend scenes for this first chapter. The rest of the story will built its way up to that event.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Her hours at the police station were only supposed to be a few in the afternoon but as it neared time, Beth and Tara realized they had made a mess of the office. If they didn't clean up, Dawn would throw a fit. But cleaning took longer than either of them had expected...more than an hour. By then, it was already too late for Beth to go to the soup kitchen that day like she had planned and took the metro over to the nicer part of downtown. Glenn's apartment was there and while Beth felt a little bad about having to stay in an already cramped apartment with him and Maggie, it was something they all came to an an agreement to as the best use of their finances. On the days she wouldn't be working, Beth would try to make it back to the farm. It was an hour's drive out of the city but almost another extra hour when counting traffic.

Beth didn't realize how exhausted she would be when she finally got to the apartment door.

"Oh my god, Beth." Maggie held Beth because it looked like she was going to fall asleep. "I thought your shift at the station was supposed to end at 4."

"What time is it?"

"It's 7. I can't believe they would keep you there so late on your first day."

Beth reassured her sister. "It's fine, Maggie. Just some cleanup work. There was a lot of it."

Beth knew she would have to get use to crashing on Glenn's couch. And it would be the first thing she did after she came home from the station. In the morning, Beth would also be the first person to leave the apartment. She was grateful that they were trusting her enough with a spare key. The station was too far for Beth to make the journey from the apartment on foot so she would have to get up in the morning with enough time to take the metro.

It was Tara who had warned her, "Better get here early. Even if you're just under the wire, you'll still get the evil eye. I got in about a minute before my shift started one time and Dawn was like 'the hell kind of cop are you, lazy bitch."

Beth couldn't believe that Dawn would be like that, but once more, the workload of criminal records were piled on and it seemed like more time was spent cleaning up after their messes than was actually doing work. Constantly returning to the apartment late at night was starting to worry Maggie. "You might want to reconsider this, Beth. This is too much work that you're not making any money for."

"But I want to help," Beth protested.

"I don't think dad would like what he's seeing. This Dawn person sounds like she's slave-driving you. She maybe a cop, but I bet you she wouldn't survive five minutes with dad..."

"Maggie, don't. I have to handle this myself. I can't always have you or daddy looking after me."

Maggie sighed. "And you're still gonna volunteer at the homeless shelter on top of all that?"

"Why not?"

"Cause you're always trying to help out other people," said Maggie. "It's gonna take too much out of you overworking yourself like this. And by the way, I'd be careful. Working in a homeless shelter in Atlanta isn't like doing a coat drive."

Beth rolled her eyes. In all honesty, she was getting kinda sick of people trying to protect her. She might be new to Atlanta, but she was determined. If her own family wasn't going to let her spread her wings, how was she going to able to achieve her goals?

After several days of the difficult routine at the police station, Beth told herself that she would make time to use her day off to do what she had intended to do in the first place...go to the soup kitchen that Rick told her about.

Much like the police station, it was a cold and difficult trip into the city. Hard to believe that only a few blocks away from the station, Beth felt like she was in a completely different world from where Glenn and Maggie's apartment was. Many buildings were rundown or boarded up. The sidewalks weren't very smooth and have cracked with age. It all seemed like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Though she remembered what Tara said about The Walkers and the old park where they were rumored to hang out. Beth was grateful that there seemed to be no sign of that said park anywhere around here.

She approached a white building that stood out from the others, bearing a black cross: Saint Sarah's Mission. She rang the buzzer and waited.

"Over here." Beth looked around the building and saw a man in a preacher's suit behind a fence. "I'm Father Gabriel. Sorry about the fences. It's really just a safety measure, I assure you."

"This is a mission," said Beth. "What would be so dangerous about it?"

"I try to do good work here," he said. "But the people I do the Lord's work for...can be very difficult. I like to think it's his way of testing me sometimes." Once he got Beth inside, he had her sit in his office in the back of the building. "I know your friend Sheriff Grimes. He and his family volunteered here a couple of times before around Christmas. We could use all the help we could get."

"Would once a week be okay?" Beth asked him. "I thought I could do more but I might not be able to with my job."

"That's more than we ever get around here. Most people who volunteer here...they work once and hardly ever come back. As I've said, the people who come here for even a simple meal can be pretty unpredictable. We've had a few riots in the dining room in the past. One, I had to call the police for. But it would mean alot just to have any help at any time. You seem like a sweet girl. I hope you consider it."

Reluctantly, Beth agreed. "I'll give it a chance."

"Oh thank you," said Father Gabriel. "You can work with Noah. He's one of a blessed few, been here longer than any volunteer I've had." He led Beth to the kitchen which seem rather rundown and dingy. Noah was scrubbing away at the dishes. "Noah, this is Beth. She's come to help us out."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "We'll see how long this lasts."

"It can't be all bad," said Beth. "You're just giving them a meal, right?"

"Yeah...well some of them can be picky. The others either want more than their share or just want some booze. Last girl we had working here only lasted about 20 minutes before she headed out the door. I'm just warnin' ya."

"I think I can handle it."

"Then let's prep for the dinner rush."

The mission was nothing like the police station where everything had to be tidy and orderly. The first homeless to enter the dining room for the dinner rush were unkempt or had a strange odor to them. Difficult as it was, Beth did like the change of environment. And she felt confident that if she can handle working long hours under Dawn's "neat and tidy" rulership, then surely she could handle a bunch of rough aggravating homeless people.

It seemed strange how the diners were giving Beth looks, but she ignored them and focus on the task of giving them a smile and a meal. Only a few seemed friendly. One man that caught Beth's eye, mostly out of sympathy for him, wore crutches as he only had one leg and wore an army jacket. He had to have been a war veteran. "Excuse me," he said. "I could use something to drink."

"We have water, juice, and milk," Beth said with a smile.

"No, I mean something like a forty."

"A what?"

"He means malt liquor," said Noah. "Come on, Bob. You really think we'd have liquor around here? You ask every time. You're going to your AA meetings, are you?"

"It never hurts to ask. Have a nice day," said Bob as he limped away with his meal. But Beth really felt bad for him. "That poor man."

Noah didn't share the sympathy. "Eh...don't feel too bad for him. He maybe a war vet but it's the drinking that got him where he is."

After Noah went into the back to make more food, Beth was left alone and a skinny mustached man then approach the counter. Who smiled upon seeing Beth. "Well hello, there. You must be new to us." He read the tag on Beth's apron. "Beth is it? I'm Axel."

"Hi, what can I get for you?"

"Whatever you think is good. So...you plan on staying a while?"

"Once a week if I have the time," said Beth.

"I'll look forward to it then. How old are you anyway?"

Beth was starting to get really uncomfortable now. Was it really any of this man's business? "I'm...18."

"18, huh? That's a good age..." he stopped midway as he sniffed something in the air. "Is that lilac, I smell?"

It finally caught on to Beth that this Axel guy seemed a little to interested in her. She also realized the shampoo she used this morning on her hair used a lilac blossom scent. She was ready to lean back as he tried to lean forward.

"Axel!"

Forks began to drop and the noises in the dining room went quiet. Right behind Axel came a larger, scruffier man. He wore a flannel shirt with a denim jacket over it and a blue baseball cap to cover his long hair. The diners in the room just froze in place as the man got closer to Axel. The confident suave Axel now seemed to be shaking. "D-d-d-daryl...easy, I didn't know you were here. You can have my place in line."

"Screw your place in line," said the man in a gruff redneck voice. "This girl here ain't for smellin'. Now I suggest you get the hell out, less you want me to tell 'er what you went to jail for."

_Just great_, Beth thought. Axel was also a former convict.

"No, no it's fine, Daryl," he said nervously as he walked past him. "I'm going out the door!" Axel stepped out for good and the noises in the dining room started up again.

The man...Daryl, he seemed to move out of the food line as well and instead went to hang out by the main entry door where people would hang their coats. Beth watched him from the counter as he pulled out a cigarette from his jacket with the intent to light it.

"Sir!" Father Gabriel was running up to him. "Sir, I'm sorry...there's no smoking in the soup kitchen."

The whole room went silent again as Daryl gave Father Gabriel a cold glare. "Don't matter," he said. "The food here's shit anyway. I was just lookin' to keep warm." With that, Daryl angrily left the soup kitchen, leaving Beth a little disappointed that she never got to thank him.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a men's shelter. No wonder the diners had been giving her strange looks all throughout the night. Noah laughed when he found out that Beth was only realizing this. "The women and children's shelter is actually a few streets down, but they don't got any openings for volunteers. Looks like you're stuck with us."

"I knew there had to be something wrong," said Beth. "I'm starting to think my sister's right."

"Rough time in the city?"

"I'm an intern at the police station. They're not paying me either."

"Man, I'd never do that much work for free. I mean, I don't mind doing this but I work at a Wal-mart part time. Eh...sorry about that guy today. I guess it wouldn't help if I told you that Axel's a sex offender."

Beth couldn't believe it. "Well thanks. I needed to hear that," she said sarcastically.

"Easy," Noah laughed. "I don't think it was for anything serious."

"What about that other man who was here tonight...Daryl?"

Noah's mood instantly changed . "Daryl Dixon? He was here?"

"While you were in the back. Father Gabriel kicked him out cause he was trying to smoke."

"I've been hearing stories about him," he said. "...from some of guys that come here. They're scared shitless of him...saying he and his brother were involved in some nasty stuff. I think his brother's in prison right now."

"For what?"

"I dunno. They don't seem to talk about it. It just something you could sense in them."

After having a first rough night in the soup kitchen Beth began to question whether or not she wanted to come back again. "Will we be seeing you next week?" Father Gabriel asked her as she was getting ready to leave.

"I...I'm not sure."

"I know it can be hard dealing with some of these men," he said. "But doing God's work requires alot of perseverance towards our fellow man, and in the end we're giving them a little something that makes a big difference, even if they don't seem to show gratitude. Well...I do hope you consider it. It would mean a lot."

She was grateful that she had a week to think about whether or not she wanted to come back. It was something she pondered as she headed to the metro stop. One day at a homeless shelter would not look good on a resume. If she really wanted to get a good paying job soon, she had to step up her game, prove she could endure and tolerate all kinds of people.

Along the way, Beth realized that she hadn't had dinner and stopped at a corner deli to get a ham sandwich. She then got to the bench at the metro stop and was ready to eat when she was alarmed by some rattling noises. Just feet away from her, she could see the back of a man as he was digging through a trash bin. In what little light there was, Beth swore that she saw a pair of angel wings.

When the man turned to put something in a nearby grocery cart, that's when Beth recognized his face...Daryl, the man from the soup kitchen.

She must have been crazy for what she did next. She got up from her bench and headed over to Daryl. He didn't seem to be paying attention to anything other than digging through the garbage amongst him. A small cough escaped Beth and Daryl finally looked up. His face gave a silent recognition of the girl infront of him.

"Um...I just wanted to thank you, for what you did for me at the soup kitchen today."

Daryl was still quiet.

"I know you don't like the food there," Beth said as she held out the unopened sandwich to him. "Here."

Daryl stared at her as if she was the crazy person. "Don't take charity."

"It's okay. You can have it. I'm not that hungry." As if on cue, Beth's stomach growled giving away her lie. But Daryl seemed to ignore it all. "Told ya, I don't take handouts."

"But," Beth wondered. "How do you eat?"

Daryl seemed very aggravated. "What? Don't think I can take care of myself, just 'cause I live out here?"

Beth got defensive. "I'm just wondering how you survive?"

"I earn it," he said. "I'm not some asshole thief if that's what you're wonderin'".

"Well then," she said. "You earned this."

Daryl only stared at the sandwich but showed no actual interest in taking it. Beth saw the lights of the approaching metro and she knew she had to get back. It would be too dangerous to wait even another hour if she missed this one. Daryl seemed to have known that she had to go too.

"Take your sandwich."

He said no more to her and went back to his rummaging. Beth gave up and went to board the metro. As it was leaving the stop, Beth looked through the window and could only watch as Daryl continued to stuff trash bags into his grocery cart and began pushing it to his next destination.

...

They were being overworked as usual. Now just to add to their workload, Dawn had now given Tara and Beth a particular quota as to how many files they had to go over during their shift. Even with two of them, it seemed impossible to get through the entire shift even with all the caffeine flowing in their bloodstream.

"I dunoo how you can read up on these Walker killings without throwing up," said Beth as she recoiled at the photos from her latest file.

"I try to think of them as scenes from a horror movie. Though I don't think any movie I saw ever had people just ripping their flesh off with their bare teeth. That's pretty sick." Tara was beating at their sorry excuse of a coffee pot. "Come on." She beat it again and nothing. "Really?!" She rattled the machine. It was clearly an old coffee machine that had stained with age. "Of course you're dead," she told it. "Well, that's it. I can't do anymore work without more to drink."

"We're not halfway finish with the quota."

"Never mind the quota," said Tara. "Think you can grab a cup from the coffee bar in the hall?"

"Isn't that for the officers...I mean...sorry I wasn't implying that you weren't a real officer."

"It's cool. But yeah, it does get used by Dawn and her little bitches as I like to call them. Don't tell anyone I said that either."

Beth laughed. "Well I'm not going out there to get coffee if I could get in trouble for it."

"Oh come on. They got coffee machines everywhere. It's not gonna kill them if we need a couple of cups to do our work and serves them right for giving us this piece of crap. They don't own that one in the hallway."

Beth still had a bad feeling. It seemed like the safest place she felt comfortable being in during her shift was in this records room. "I really don't know."

"Well if anyone asks, tell them I sent you. I'd go but then Dawn would get on me about being out there and not doing my work in here."

"Okay." Beth got up and was very nervous as she got to the door. Tara called out. "Good luck. I take mine black."

The hallway was particularly quiet which provided Beth with some ease. Most of the officers were in their offices or at their desks working. This particular hallway was narrow and very few people could be seen or see her. Once she got to the coffee bar, she was feeling more relaxed. Getting worked up over coffee would pretty ridiculous. She found herself humming softly as she was preparing the cups, one for Tara and one for herself.

"You're not supposed to be out here."

Beth nearly lost the coffees in her hands at the sound of the voice. Thankfully, it wasn't Dawn but the man she now turned to face didn't look anymore pleasant. "Sorry...Officer...uh...Gorman." She held it together, trying to not look like a nervous wreck infront of him. "The coffee pot in our office is broken. Tara said it's okay to get some here 'til we got a new one."

"Rookie gettin' you to cause some trouble over a coffee pot? She can be an ungrateful bitch at times. I'm gonna have a word with Dawn about her."

At this point, Beth really didn't know what to do. Should she try and walk away from Gorman? Leave the coffees there? Try to apologize again? She could have sworn she spent a whole minute there trying to figure out what to do and the whole time it seemed as if Gorman was both angry yet amused by it at the same time.

"Yeah, I know I'm kinda charming, but don't get any ideas."

What the hell was Gorman doing now? Beth had never been so confused. It was like he was messing with her head.

"Just go and don't let me see you again here or I'll have to tell Dawn you've been stealing."

"But...I wasn't..." She was at a loss for words now. Was she really going to get in trouble, lose her intership, over a couple cups of stinking coffee? This would be really disastrous considering all the amount of work she was putting in here. She nervously took the coffees and started walking past him. Beth could sense that even after walking a few feet down the hallway, he was watching her. And then she heard the footsteps...

"Hold it." Gorman came up from behind her. "Your shirt's untucked. You know how Dawn is about keeping a neat image."

Beth looked over. The part of the shirt that was untucked had to be somewhere to the side, almost reaching around the back. Either way, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment with a cup of warm coffee in each hand.

She could hear Gorman sigh. "Here, let me help with that." Beth was ready to reach over and hand Gorman the coffees. Instead she saw his hand reach down to the untucked part of her shirt and just froze. She felt him use two fingers to push the fabric into the hem of her pants, almost forcefully. Perhaps, he meant to be quick about it but she cringe knowing that his fingertips got too far past the fabric of her shirt and were making bare contact with her own skin, just above the panty-line...too close to it for comfort. The contact lasted no more than a second, but that was already too long not to feel disturbed.

It took everything within her to not vomit into her coffee cup.

She swore she saw Gorman smirk as he walked away. For a minute, she stood there trying to figure out what the hell just happened. It was nothing, she thought. Just a stupid accident. But the other part of her...her instinctive side, was screaming otherwise.

By some form of miracle, she made it back to the office. "Finally," said Tara. "I thought my coffee would be iced by now." Only when Tara reached for her cup did she look at Beth's face. "Whoa. You okay, Beth? You look like you've seen some shit."

Beth shook her head. "No...it's fine," she said. "It's nothing."

The amount of work they still had to do ended up being a God-send now as it gave Beth a distraction all the way until the shift's end. But the long trip back to the apartment was still plagued and haunted by the moment in that hallway with Gorman.

She opened the door, hoping for Maggie and Glenn to provide her more distraction from her thoughts. She was surprised to find that Maggie's face, as she was sitting on the living room couch, seemed similar to her own almost all day.

"Maggie? Are you okay? What happened?"

"Dad called today," her sister said. "And it's not good."


	4. Chapter 4

The Greene sisters left their busy lives in Atlanta to return home together for the first time. The car ride alone was both painfully long and nerve-wracking but it only broke their hearts even more to see their home had slowly deteriorated since they left it last. They knew their father, Hershel, couldn't take on the workload of maintaining a failing farm alone, but he was a stubborn man and that stubbornness led him to be hospitalized. Although he had already been released and sent home, Beth and Maggie agreed to go and check on him anyway after Rick called and told them what had happened. It took alot within Hershel to get himself to stay in bed as the doctor ordered, but it was difficult considering the amount of work needed to be done.

"Dad, we warned you about working yourself to death. Now look what happened."

"It was nothing for you girls to worry about," Hershel argued.

"But you could have died!"

The argument between Maggie and Hershel was getting a bit heated, not to mention a bit personal. Once Hershel said it was only a slightly difficult, Maggie had to bring up Shawn and their mother. They were the stronghold of the farm, something to which Hershel was blind to until they were killed in a car crash several years ago. To think of them with the whole situation going on was too much for Beth to bear and she decided to say something to put a stop to the thoughts. "Maggie...daddy. I'm thinking maybe I should call it quits and come home."

"Bethy, there's no need for that," said Hershel. "Absolutely none. You have a wonderful opportunity out there and I'm not gonna let you throw it all away over me. Aside from that, it won't make a difference. I say this farm has about a year left, maybe less. I think it's time we just let it go."

Maggie cried. "You don't mean that."

"I do, Maggie. I know you girls want to help, but it's over. Keep the money you make for yourselves. I'll take whatever money I have from the farm and find a decent retirement home."

"But you deserve better than that. And this is our farm. We'll find the money."

Looking out over the farm, Beth wondered if it was too late. Much of the land and livestock had already been sold off. But even with less work, it still wasn't enough for Hershel to keep up with and he could no longer find outside help who would work for free.

Once the sisters headed back to Atlanta, their worst fear was for their father to have more heart problems again...or worst yet, a stroke. They had to come up with a new plan to stretch their finances even further. But Maggie already had a full time job. Even Glenn was helping out a bit despite the sisters protests' about it. This left Beth being the one who needed to do more. She had to make a decision regarding the internship and volunteer work she was doing. It simply wasn't going to be enough and with what little time they had, they needed more money.

She would make a bad impression if she left the internship too early in. The internship was her only chance if she wanted to get an actual well-paying job. That just left the volunteering job at the soup kitchen. Hard as it was, that might have to be the one thing she would have to sacrifice if she was to find time for a part-time job in the mix of things. On the drive back, Beth was searching through her phone for part-time jobs in Atlanta. Of course, the only ones available were working as a waitress on lousy pay. Her father was right: even if she worked hard now there, was no possible way to get the money their family needed in time.

"Is your dad, okay?" Glenn asked when the girls got back to the apartment.

"He's still as stubborn as he always was. So yeah...," said Maggie.

"Well listen, I've got some cool news. You know how my cousin has a media company downtown? He says he got an opening for an assistant. I told him that Beth might be interested in applying. It's gonna pay really well, too."

Maggie seemed excited but Beth was still pretty hesitant. "How much work experience do I need there?"

"Not much really," said Glenn. "I told him you were doing an internship and it's not a problem since it's gonna be part-time. You should go for it."

It definitely sounded like the biggest break that Beth desperately needed. Beth spent the whole night filling out an application, and trying to get some form of resume together so that she could be ready. The only available interview times were the following morning. She was a bit concerned about being late for her shift at the police station, but this job opportunity was huge. There was no way she could pass it up.

When morning came, she didn't get much sleep but Beth still had a lot of work to do, she had to get herself ready and was thankful that she had something decent to wear for the job interview. Nervous as she was, she thought about Daddy, she thought about the farm. She needed to get this job. It felt like her whole family would lose everything if she didn't.

"Greene."

Beth entered the office and wouldn't step out until 45 minutes later. The interview was not a bad as she thought it would be. She had the smile, answered all the questions and showed the resume. Glenn's cousin said that a decision would be made within the next 24 hours, and he would let her know once everyone was interviewed.

She was feeling good about herself until she checked her phone. "SHIT!"

With only high heels, Beth ran as fast as she could to get to a taxi. It was the only way she could get to her shift at the police station on time.

Traffic was bad and Beth was checking the time the whole trip there. She hurried her way to the police station with just a minute to spare and nearly trip over her own heels as she made her way in.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Beth had no time to catch her breathe as a very angry Dawn loomed over her. "I'm sorry...I was..."

"I don't care for your excuses," she said. "I gave you yesterday off to see your father with the expectation that you'd be early today. Now I'm starting to think that was bullshit."

"What are you talking about?!" Beth was pissed off at the thought that she would be lying about her father's condition. She was about ready to have it out with this woman, not caring that the people in the hall were staring at them arguing. "My daddy WAS sick! He was in the hospital!"

"Are you trying to talk back to me?!" Dawn screamed. "And why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit? This isn't a fashion contest here."

Beth worried that if Dawn knew that she had just come out of a job interview, it would make her situation worse than it already was. But she was already looking like a nervous wreck with everyone, even Gorman, watching her. "Sorry..." was all she could mutter.

"Sorry doesn't get you here on time," Dawn said. "I'm penalizing you for this and the talking back. One more and you're done here, Greene. Now hurry up and get to work!"

Beth tried to gather her composure but she was already in tears before getting into the records room.

"Beth?" Tara looked over and she could see Beth wiping the tears from her face. The makeup from her interview was getting smeared all over. Tara hurried to get her a handkerchief. "Are you okay? I heard about your dad..."

"My daddy's fine," she said.

"Oh..." Tara finally realized the actual situation. "So that must've been you I heard Dawn yelling at in the hallway."

Beth nodded as she wiped her face.

Tara tried to cheer her up. "That woman's got loud speakers doesn't she? I can't believe I heard her all the way from here."

Beth tried to smile but it was very faint. "Well don't let that bitch get to you," said Tara. "It's her way of tryin' to break people down the new people...or anyone she doesn't take a liking to. You know, when you were gone, she got on me for sending you to get that coffee from the coffee bar the other day. Seems like Gorman saw you."

"He did," said Beth who trying had not to recall that very uncomfortable run-in with him. But Tara look worried. "Shit, he didn't try anything, did he?"

"What do you mean?"

Tara rubbed her head. "Man, I'm a piece of shit. I shoulda warned you about him. It's just...I hear things...you know. Some girls that used to work here, they were working around Gorman and let's just say that they were out the door pretty quick. Either got fired or quit. I didn't know what it was. He didn't seem like a pervert, then he started hittin' on me...and not in a good way."

Gorman's behavior from the other day was starting to make a little more sense now in Beth's mind. "Oh my god. Didn't you tell Dawn?"

"Hell yeah, I did," said Tara. "And she thought I was bullshittin'. Went on and on about Gorman bein' one of the best officers in the department...had a clean slate and all this other shit. Got penalized for lying."

"Does he still bother you?"

"Nope. Finally decided to come out and tell him I was into girls." Tara then laughed. "You shoulda seen the look on his face when I told him. He just finds me disgusting now, but I guess that hasn't stopped him from ratting on me for stupid shit like the coffee."

"I'm so sorry," said Beth. "I was the one who went out there. They shouldn't be punishing you for that."

Tara seemed relaxed. "Don't worry about it. I shoulda gone myself anyway. We should probably get this shit started before Dawn loses it some more, huh?" They tried to go through their shift as normal, even with all the issues they've been dealt it.

"Tara?"

"Yeah?"

Beth was nervous about what she was going to ask her. "I might have a job lined up...a secretary job. It's only part time but do you think I should leave here if I get it?"

"I know Dawn won't be happy," Tara said. "She doesn't like people ditching the job on her and she might give you a bad reference if it comes to that. But if I wasn't into being a police officer, I'd totally get outta here, if I had the chance."

The shift ended normally and once Beth got her cell phone out, she was surprised to have missed a call from the company she was interviewed at. She hoped that Dawn's stupid anti-cellphone policy during work hours didn't ruin this for her as she sat on the steps of the police station to call the number back.

"Yes, this is Beth Greene, returning your call."

After a few moments, the widest smile came to her face. "I got it? Yes...I can start next week. Thank you so much!"

She couldn't believe it. Beth could not wait to get home to tell Maggie and Glenn and her father the news. This was definitely a miracle that they needed. She still had to think about whether or not she would continue to work here but it didn't matter right now. Things were starting to look up. Their family farm...their home, still had a chance.

Beth left the steps with such excitement, unaware that Gorman had been watching her from the station doors the whole time.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh snap! So I hope I am making Dawn as much of a bitch as she is on the show. That was my intention. I apologize for the lack of Daryl in the early parts of this story. His role will get bigger when we get to the good stuff. It's also gonna get dark and downhill for Beth pretty soon. I hate to say that but it will.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Well my timing sure sucks. Week of the MSF I was damn excited about starting work on this chapter...and then I saw the MSF. What can I say? It messed me up just like it did everyone else. I thought it would be hard to get back to this story but then I realized how hard it would be for people to continue reading it (given it features certain season 5 character who didn't die painful enough deaths in canon). I mean if I had known that was how the GMH storyline would turn out in the end, I probably would have never started this fic to begin with. So if you do have a hard time to continue reading as a result, I won't hold it against you. But I think I'm at the point where I can get back and try to enjoy the Bethyl ship while it still hangs on. Much admiration for the people who have been starting AU fics after the MSF. It really did help me to move forward with this story. But as I warn all of you, it will get dark in the next chapter. Again thank you those who are reading and are still reading this fic. You are truly the strength of the fandom and ship right now during this difficult time.**

**Let's continue this thing.**

* * *

><p>Everyone in the family was thrilled at the news. To Beth, it meant much more than being able to help out her family, financially. It was about doing something truly worthwhile...something she was no longer feeling working the internship. Which was why, after serious consideration, that she was going to tell Dawn that she was quitting. Not an easy thing after their public confrontation. She also didn't want it to make it seem like she was quitting in spite of that.<p>

Perhaps if Beth waited it out, she could go talk to Dawn when things were calmer. But it seemed as if Dawn was already pushing to make things harder for Beth intentionally. She and Tara were spending more time not just dealing with records, but also doing inventory on various records from other rooms, doubling their workload. Between the two of them, there were too many heavy boxes to move around, in some cases, to other rooms down the hall.

Beth found herself having to put the boxes down for a few moments and having to pick them up again to deal with their weight. After a while, she bent down to pick up one and something felt off. It only realizing the position she was in and her recognition of the surrounding noises for her instincts to kick in.

"You can stop staring now." She turned to look back at Gorman, making sure to show her discontent at him staring at her ass.

"Last I check, you're not the one who gets to give orders around here." Gorman went around Beth to face her.

"I know what you're up to," said Beth. "Tara told me everything about you."

"And why does that matter?"

"Because I'll tell Dawn."

Gorman smirked. "Dawn won't do anything. And I doubt she'll listen to anything you have to say...especially since you're gonna call it quits soon."

Beth's body jerked a bit. "But how d'you know I...?"

"I just know. And I don't think she'll be happy to hear from me that you found a better job just to spite her."

"It's not to spite her! I needed to help my dad..."

When Gorman quickly grabbed her wrist, Beth panicked but tried to maintain her cool. One wrong move and this situation could get worse. "Don't raise your voice to authority," he said with an eerie calm. "People get arrested for that sort of thing. And I know you. You're no criminal." His face getting too close to Beth but she was determined not to show any upset or bewilderment by his presence or the fact that she could feel his breath on her.

She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Go ahead. Tell Dawn. I'm not afraid of her...and I definitely not afraid of you."

His smile turned into a frown when he saw how defiant Beth was being and let go of her arm. The grip had been tight enough, that it felt really sore, but Beth wasn't going to tend to it or give into the pain just yet. Not until he was gone and out of her sight.

Once Gorman was gone, Beth felt good. Even if Dawn came up to her right now and fired her on the spot, it wouldn't change a thing. Come Monday, things were going to look up and this would all be a forgotten memory.

...

She had only returned to work at the soup kitchen once since she first started. Between all the work at the police station and her father's bad health, her failure to keep up her volunteer work there became her only shame. Throughout the day, she kept an eye out for the man...Daryl. She had hoped that he would come around again, despite his dislike of the food. But the weather was a little warmer and she knew he would only come in just to keep warm.

Beth felt guilty about going to Father Gabriel and telling him that she wouldn't have time for the soup kitchen anymore. "I'm sorry about that," he told her. "But I hope that when things are better for you, maybe you will come back."

"I want to," said Beth. "This is something I have to do though."

"I understand. Good luck to you, child."

Afterwards, Beth walked out of the mission and was thinking about heading back to Glenn and Maggie's place early. But she also wanted some time to herself. So she opted for going to the park. She rarely had time to herself since arriving in the city and took to a bench to read a book.

It was calm and quiet for the most part. She got her head out her book only once when she thought she heard a noise...other than the birds. There were other people around, but too far away from her bench to make the noise she heard. For a moment, it almost felt like she was being watched but that seemed ridiculous. She turned her head and her eyes became focused on a shiny but crushed aluminum can. After picking up the can she looked up and Beth could've sworn that she saw a familiar pair of angel wings beyond the trees. Without giving it a second though, Beth left everything on the bench, taking only the can with her, to follow the wings.

As she walked past the trees, sure enough, she saw Daryl, pushing the same grocery cart he had been pushing before.

"Hey!"

He wasn't looking back at her. She moved closer until she was just a short jog from him. "Daryl!"

That got his attention. But instead of being happy or surprised to see her, he looked rather annoyed. "Girl, can't you leave me alone?"

When Beth came up to him, she handed the crushed can. "You collect these don't you?

Daryl looked aggravated. "Told ya, I don't take charity."

"It's not charity," said Beth. "I found it on the ground. I thought maybe you missed it while you were looking."

Daryl stared at the can for a second, and eventually caved into taking it out of Beth's hand. He hoped she would let him be if he did.

"Do you live around here?" she asked him.

"I come here for the goods," he grumbled. "Where I sleep at night ain't nice. You wouldn't wanna be 'round there." Daryl started to realize that maybe telling her that was a mistake. He didn't want this to become an interview of his life story and this girl was getting annoyingly noisy about his personal life. "Not that it ain't your business anyway. Besides, already gettin' late." He turned his back to her. "Go home."

Beth didn't hesitate this time, only because at that moment, she realized that she had foolishly left all her belongings, even her purse, on the bench unsupervised. Thankfully when she got back the purse, was still there. It did feel a little heavier than usual, but that wasn't really her biggest concern. Her only thought was to check and make sure her wallet and money and ID cards were still in the big pocket and thankfully they were.

...

The next day was the day, Beth decided, that she would speak with Dawn. It was the day she would make her last at the Atlanta Police Station. The only thing she would miss about this place was Tara. She was the only person who treated her like a human being and made the place tolerable for the time she spent there. At least there would be one good goodbye in the mix.

But as soon as Beth entered the station, Dawn was waiting. No way was Beth late. She came in a good 15 minutes early to prepare for this.

"I want you in my office," said Dawn. "We need to talk."

Beth was as angry as Dawn was. Gorman must have told her about her plans to leave. But she reminded herself that it was nothing to be upset about. Her new job was waiting just a few days ahead. This would all be over soon. She sat in the chair across from Dawn's desk, ready to deal with what came her way. "I've gotten word that you're leaving us?"

"Yes," said Beth. "I've been meaning to tell you..."

"I'm sure you have. Interns who care about what they do wouldn't hide that stuff from me. You know this won't look good on your final evaluation."

"I understand." Beth tried to sound as professional as she could but Dawn still wasn't pleased. "What do you have against this?" said Dawn. "Against me? I've been a lot lenient with you compared to everyone else that did this program."

Beth was angry at the way Dawn was making it sound like she was the victim. But Beth knew better than that and wanted to make sure she knew it. "Why don't you ask Gorman? He likes to tell you things and you like to cover for him."

Dawn angrily got up from her seat. "Get out," she yelled. "You hate it that much here? Then just go! I'm through with you!"

Beth was shaken but determined to get up and leave quickly but before she could get to the door, she heard Dawn sobbing. The sobbing continued and it was starting to get to Beth as she stood just few from the door. She grunted and turned back to Dawn who was sitting back in her desk again, with her hands to her tear-stricken face. "You think it's easy what I do?" Dawn cried. "I've already had deal with enough this week without you being against me. Someone's been stealing from the police evidence locker. I know it's not you. But it's going to be on me if I don't find them."

"Sorry," said Beth, though her voice lacked the sympathy for Dawn or her situation. Dawn looked pathetic in Beth's mind. She never understood how she even got to the rank of lieutenant. But Beth still had one ounce of compassion left in her to get her purse out and find the tissue she had in one of the smaller pockets. "Here."

When she pulled out the tissue pack however, something small and made of glass also popped out and broke open onto Dawn's desk. The contents, consisting of small white crystals (resembling gravel) scattered themselves all over her desk.

Both women were shocked and confused. Beth looked into her purse and found even more unfamiliar bottles, tubes, and packets. Dawn looked at that broken glass tube that fell onto her desk. "I recognize this."

Beth was horrified when she pulled out the plastic packets filled with powder and crystals. "I...what is this?"

"You bitch," Dawn growled.

"I don't understand. This isn't mine."

"Of course it isn't," said Dawn. "Those drugs were confiscated by us. We had them locked up in the evidence locker until they started disappearing...shortly after you started here."

For the first time, Beth was shaking. She was terrified. "You don't think I...NO! I didn't! I wouldn't!

"Gorman saw you by the evidence lockers the other day."

"I was helping with moving the records like you wanted."

"Give me your bag."

Beth hesitated, only because she was scared of what else Dawn would find that even she didn't know was there.

"I SAID GIVE ME YOUR BAG!"

Dawn grabbed the purse from Beth and poured everything out. From the smaller pockets, more small unfamiliar packets appeared, filled with the same material, as well as a couple of white envelopes filled with cash. Beth never put her cash in envelopes. Even more horrifying were the words written on the packets: methamphetamine, oxycontin, ecstasy.

"I should have known," said Dawn. "You came to work here just to get something to sell on the street..."

"Are you kidding me?!" Beth cried. "I don't take drugs! Why would I..."

"Rick told me about your father. I knew you were desperate but I never thought you would stoop this low." Dawn came around and grabbed Beth. "Arms behind your back, now!"

"NO! IT'S NOT MINE!" On instinct, Beth was struggling. Her biggest mistake as Dawn was forced to radio for backup. By the time Gorman came into the office, Dawn had forced Beth's head to her desk. Gorman helped to handcuff her.

"STOP! PLEASE!," Beth cried. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Enough Greene," said Dawn. "You're under arrest for stealing police evidence and drug possession!"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

"Take her to lock-up, Gorman." Dawn sneered at Beth not caring for her cries of innocence. "The courts will decide if you're innocent, but we both know you're full of shit. You always were." For the first time in a week, Dawn was feeling confident and strong. The case was finally solved in her mind. "You're gonna rot in jail for a long time."


End file.
